Against Leukemia: The posts on this Blog are updates Cheryl has sent out during her fight with Leukemia. She was diagnosed in October of 2005 with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia and has been in an almost constant battle with the disease since.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

8 July 2007

Hello to All,

First I hope you are all managing to stay relatively cool in this summer heat. However, more to the point. This is Gene and I wanted to update you on how Cheryl is doing. Many of you have been calling and / or asking me or our mutual friends. I am sorry that I haven't gotten an update sent out sooner.

I left you all with the possibility that I would be able to bring her home on Tuesday and with God's intervention and your prayers, I did!!!

Prior to the hospital releasing Cheryl, they gave her transfusions of two units of whole blood, and one unit of platelets. Based on discussions with the doctors and Hospice, this will be the last transfusions she will ever get.

We got back to South Beloit at about 7:30 pm, just in time to pick her sister Sandy, the one from Colorado, a.k.a. "The Donor", who flew in from Denver to be with Cheryl, at the bus station and headed home.

When we got home, Sandy went to another room and Cheryl and I sat down with Emily and Michael and told them the news. I can tell you we were glad to have two full boxes of tissues around. We spent the rest of the night talking through issues and answering any of the kids questions, with lots of hugs slipped in to ward off the sorrow.

On Wednesday morning, the Fourth of July, our official Hospice nurse came over and did a thorough exam on Cheryl and looked over our house, giving me pointers on how better to care for Cheryl. When she finished for the day we had a new wheel chair for Cheryl to use when she needs to, which out side of the house is often.

Wednesday evening, Cheryl's father and mother arrived from Wyoming, Cheryl's life long friend from Nebraska, as well as her cousin and husband from New Mexico (they drove 1,400 miles non-stop to get here). On Thursday her sister and nephew arrived from Kansas. Needless to say, we had a full house. Cheryl was very happy to see everyone, what joy it brought to her heart.

Wednesday night, we went to our secret place to watch fire works, it is in doors with air conditioning, so it wasn't to hard on Cheryl. We had a great time.

Thursday morning was just for Emily and Michael. Cheryl and the kids went into the family room and closed the door to spend some quality time. Cheryl gave something to both the kids to remember her, something special to Cheryl and then the kids had a chance to ask for something that was special to them. Thursday afternoon, Cheryl and I went and picked out cemetery plots and she picked out her own casket, it is very beautiful.

Enough of the day by day details, suffice it to say that there has been a great deal of reminiscing.

I should tell you that the doctors sent Cheryl home with two medicines that should buy her a little more time. The first is a pill that helps her body hold onto the platelets a little longer and the second is a medicine that will help hold back her cancer cell growth for a short time. While Cheryl was on the study, they couldn't give these medications to her. As I said, the medicine should give us a bit more time. How much time, that is a question that only God can answer.

I won't get into the details, but her body is getting weaker and she is starting to get a great deal of petici, or where her blood is so thin it is leaking out of her smaller blood vessels in her skin. She is getting physically weaker every day. We have her on constant pain medications to mediate her pain and keep it as close to zero as possible, yet maintaining her ability to carry on good conversations and move about as she is able.

Today, Sunday, 8 July, she went to church so that the elders of the church could anoint her with oil and pray over her. We are now down to just her mother and father and her sister Sandy. Sandy will be leaving on Tuesday and her parents will be leaving on Wednesday.

We have been over whelmed by everyone from my work to church and how they have flooded us with calls, cards and brought food over. The love from our community has just been awesome. Thank you all.